Controversies

On September 21, 1998, President Bill Clinton testified on video in response to charges that he had lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and had attempted to obstruct justice. This testimony, which lasted more than four hours, is still available on the internet. In a space of 21 years, we went from a videotaped interview that was released to the public; to an in-person interview without a video, audio or written record; to no in-person interview whatsoever. read more

Attorney General William Barr’s four-page summary of the Mueller Report (which he now says was not a “summary”) included a grand total of 65 words from the report itself and zero complete sentences.
What if the context of the first and last excerpts are… read more

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the time has come to remove all Superman comic books from libraries and shops and all Superman movies from all sources because “they glorify an illegal alien.” read more

“2015 was a deadly year for the Florida black bear. Collisions with vehicles killed at least 169 ... wildlife managers killed at least 108...that were considered nuisances or threats to human safety, at least 9 were killed illegally, and in October hunters killed at least 304 Florida black bears in the first Florida black bear hunt in 20 years,” the petition stated. The 2016 hunt was “voted down due to overwhelming public outcry against the barbaric and unnecessary hunt,” said an advocacy group. read more

“President Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional, unlawful, and fundamentally un-American...[and] undermines our states’ families, economies, and institutions," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. High-ranking U.S. security officials, including Madeleine Albright, Leon Panetta and John Kerry signed a declaration arguing the ban endangers U.S. citizens. “We view the order as one that ultimately undermines the national security of the United States...” the officials said. read more

"Judge O'Connor's conclusion that transgender people and persons who have had abortions are somehow excepted from protection is deeply troubling, legally specious, and morally repugnant," said TLDEF's Ezra Young. Many transgender people expect Trump as president to abandon or weaken the transgender protection efforts pursued by the Obama administration. He has declined to repudiate a divisive North Carolina law that restricts transgender people's bathroom access. read more

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups are critical of these vague and skimpy one-sentence bill drafts, saying they can shut out the public from important policy discussions, be used as a bait-and-switch tactic or lead to unintended consequences. Several lawmakers said that the finished product doesn't always get another public hearing. The National Conference of State Legislatures criticized such skeleton bills decades ago and in 1996 identified a dozen or so states that allowed them. read more

Trump's election has reinvigorated the coalition, giving de Blasio the means to rally dissent among big city mayors and helping claim the mantle of a leading Trump antagonist among Democrats. The group also urged the White House to end a registration program for nonimmigrant visitors that could lead to a Muslim registry, an idea endorsed by Trump. Amid pressure from the mayors, Democrats in Washington and civil rights groups, the Obama administration moved last week to dismantle the program. read more

Republicans argued that their proposal was about ensuring electoral fairness, but Democrats said it plainly smelled of a power grab. Before the measure became law, governors were allowed to appoint a simple majority in their party’s favor. Democrats have been vigorous in their complaints about Republican legislation curbing Cooper’s authority, and the measures that they approved during a hastily called special session will almost certainly be litigated for months. read more

Peabody built its first mine on this coal-darkened plateau 50 years ago, and in the process dug up an adjacent American Indian village. Navajo horse trainer Grass called the dig a “desecration.” He and others said Peabody handed off 192 sets of human remains to an anthropology professor, destroyed ancient petroglyphs and archaeological ruins, and warehoused 1.2 million artifacts. They have joined with the Sierra Club to try to curb the mine expansion. read more

There are 450 houses of worship in the U.S. that provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. The congregations joining this network have more than doubled since the election of Trump — a rapid rebuttal to Trump’s postelection promise to deport up to 3 million unauthorized immigrants. Protecting immigrants is a priority of the religious left, which has been jolted into action by Trump’s victory and his selection of an attorney general nominee who supports a crackdown on immigrants. read more

The moves followed “years” of public input and proposals to protect the areas, said the White House. It will bring more to Utah's economy, and “ensure [the state's]...vast and beautiful landscape for many years," said Utah Democratic Party Chair Peter Corroon. "Where our Republican leaders have failed, Utah Democrats are committed to fighting for our public lands.” Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Lee said he will “work tirelessly” with Congress and Donald Trump’s administration to “undo” Obama's actions. read more

In recent years, OneWest has foreclosed on at least 50,000 people, often in circumstances that consumer advocates say run counter to federal rules. Trump’s nomination of Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary has prompted new scrutiny of OneWest’s foreclosure practices. Mnuchin was the lead investor and chairman of the company during the years it ramped up its foreclosure efforts. In 2015, CIT bought OneWest for $3.4 billion, of which Mnuchin personally made about $380 million on the sale. read more

The court revived efforts by conservative groups to force intervention by the U.S. attorney general in the effort to recover emails sent by Hillary Clinton on personal accounts while serving as secretary of state. When a judge dismissed the lawsuits as moot, the court noted that Attorney General Lynch’s help was unnecessary since Clinton had voluntarily turned over 55,000 pages of emails to the State Department. A three-judge panel reversed Tuesday. read more

The paperless digital voting machines, used by 1 in 5 U.S. voters last month, present one of the most glaring dangers to the security of the rickety, underfunded U.S. election system. Most machines are near the end of their lifespans and run on vintage operating systems. Old, stockpiled machines get cannibalized; when they can't supply parts, officials scrounge on eBay. But while many experts agree the U.S. voting system needs an upgrade, no one wants to pay to fix it. read more

The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the Justice Dept in 2015 after it refused to release files on the Hemisphere Project. The secret program involved placing AT&T employees in police agencies to track records on trillions of phone calls. “It’s very clear AT&T is not only a willing participant but at the center of this mass surveillance program,” Mackey said. “We think it’s necessary not only the public knows but customers of these companies know...” read more

Controversies

On September 21, 1998, President Bill Clinton testified on video in response to charges that he had lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and had attempted to obstruct justice. This testimony, which lasted more than four hours, is still available on the internet. In a space of 21 years, we went from a videotaped interview that was released to the public; to an in-person interview without a video, audio or written record; to no in-person interview whatsoever. read more

Attorney General William Barr’s four-page summary of the Mueller Report (which he now says was not a “summary”) included a grand total of 65 words from the report itself and zero complete sentences.
What if the context of the first and last excerpts are… read more

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the time has come to remove all Superman comic books from libraries and shops and all Superman movies from all sources because “they glorify an illegal alien.” read more

“2015 was a deadly year for the Florida black bear. Collisions with vehicles killed at least 169 ... wildlife managers killed at least 108...that were considered nuisances or threats to human safety, at least 9 were killed illegally, and in October hunters killed at least 304 Florida black bears in the first Florida black bear hunt in 20 years,” the petition stated. The 2016 hunt was “voted down due to overwhelming public outcry against the barbaric and unnecessary hunt,” said an advocacy group. read more

“President Trump’s executive order is unconstitutional, unlawful, and fundamentally un-American...[and] undermines our states’ families, economies, and institutions," said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. High-ranking U.S. security officials, including Madeleine Albright, Leon Panetta and John Kerry signed a declaration arguing the ban endangers U.S. citizens. “We view the order as one that ultimately undermines the national security of the United States...” the officials said. read more

"Judge O'Connor's conclusion that transgender people and persons who have had abortions are somehow excepted from protection is deeply troubling, legally specious, and morally repugnant," said TLDEF's Ezra Young. Many transgender people expect Trump as president to abandon or weaken the transgender protection efforts pursued by the Obama administration. He has declined to repudiate a divisive North Carolina law that restricts transgender people's bathroom access. read more

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups are critical of these vague and skimpy one-sentence bill drafts, saying they can shut out the public from important policy discussions, be used as a bait-and-switch tactic or lead to unintended consequences. Several lawmakers said that the finished product doesn't always get another public hearing. The National Conference of State Legislatures criticized such skeleton bills decades ago and in 1996 identified a dozen or so states that allowed them. read more

Trump's election has reinvigorated the coalition, giving de Blasio the means to rally dissent among big city mayors and helping claim the mantle of a leading Trump antagonist among Democrats. The group also urged the White House to end a registration program for nonimmigrant visitors that could lead to a Muslim registry, an idea endorsed by Trump. Amid pressure from the mayors, Democrats in Washington and civil rights groups, the Obama administration moved last week to dismantle the program. read more

Republicans argued that their proposal was about ensuring electoral fairness, but Democrats said it plainly smelled of a power grab. Before the measure became law, governors were allowed to appoint a simple majority in their party’s favor. Democrats have been vigorous in their complaints about Republican legislation curbing Cooper’s authority, and the measures that they approved during a hastily called special session will almost certainly be litigated for months. read more

Peabody built its first mine on this coal-darkened plateau 50 years ago, and in the process dug up an adjacent American Indian village. Navajo horse trainer Grass called the dig a “desecration.” He and others said Peabody handed off 192 sets of human remains to an anthropology professor, destroyed ancient petroglyphs and archaeological ruins, and warehoused 1.2 million artifacts. They have joined with the Sierra Club to try to curb the mine expansion. read more

There are 450 houses of worship in the U.S. that provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. The congregations joining this network have more than doubled since the election of Trump — a rapid rebuttal to Trump’s postelection promise to deport up to 3 million unauthorized immigrants. Protecting immigrants is a priority of the religious left, which has been jolted into action by Trump’s victory and his selection of an attorney general nominee who supports a crackdown on immigrants. read more

The moves followed “years” of public input and proposals to protect the areas, said the White House. It will bring more to Utah's economy, and “ensure [the state's]...vast and beautiful landscape for many years," said Utah Democratic Party Chair Peter Corroon. "Where our Republican leaders have failed, Utah Democrats are committed to fighting for our public lands.” Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Lee said he will “work tirelessly” with Congress and Donald Trump’s administration to “undo” Obama's actions. read more

In recent years, OneWest has foreclosed on at least 50,000 people, often in circumstances that consumer advocates say run counter to federal rules. Trump’s nomination of Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary has prompted new scrutiny of OneWest’s foreclosure practices. Mnuchin was the lead investor and chairman of the company during the years it ramped up its foreclosure efforts. In 2015, CIT bought OneWest for $3.4 billion, of which Mnuchin personally made about $380 million on the sale. read more

The court revived efforts by conservative groups to force intervention by the U.S. attorney general in the effort to recover emails sent by Hillary Clinton on personal accounts while serving as secretary of state. When a judge dismissed the lawsuits as moot, the court noted that Attorney General Lynch’s help was unnecessary since Clinton had voluntarily turned over 55,000 pages of emails to the State Department. A three-judge panel reversed Tuesday. read more

The paperless digital voting machines, used by 1 in 5 U.S. voters last month, present one of the most glaring dangers to the security of the rickety, underfunded U.S. election system. Most machines are near the end of their lifespans and run on vintage operating systems. Old, stockpiled machines get cannibalized; when they can't supply parts, officials scrounge on eBay. But while many experts agree the U.S. voting system needs an upgrade, no one wants to pay to fix it. read more

The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the Justice Dept in 2015 after it refused to release files on the Hemisphere Project. The secret program involved placing AT&T employees in police agencies to track records on trillions of phone calls. “It’s very clear AT&T is not only a willing participant but at the center of this mass surveillance program,” Mackey said. “We think it’s necessary not only the public knows but customers of these companies know...” read more